Mauvaise Fille
by Espresso Stories
Summary: It's been years since Calem became the Kalos Champion, and all he's managed to do is pick up some local words and keep his romantic life private. Meanwhile, the former Team Flare scientists have been filling in community service of a day and going on with their lives of a night. Except for Bryony, who's teaching Kalos phrases and enjoying her nights in with her secret date.
1. Mauvaise Fille - Bad Girl

**Mauvaise Fille**

_Chapter 1: Mauvaise Fille / Bad Girl  
_

* * *

"Monsieur Calem," the interviewer began, smiling brightly while speaking into her microphone.  
"It's a pleasure to be able to speak to our current Champion again." The trainer in question offered a polite smile and shook her hand in greeting.  
"_Enchanté_," he replied, leaving her flushing a little and smiling broader.

"Feh, _merde_," Celosia cursed, yanking the chair out from the break room table and falling into it. She nodded up at the television where the interview continued, while beside her sat Bryony, slowly stirring sweetener into her coffee.  
"Where's the remote?" Celosia demanded, looking vaguely around the laboratory break room. Bryony only shrugged, her green hair moving with her shoulders as she pulled her spoon out and sucked it. Her former partner-in-crime huffed again, louder, before turning in her chair towards the security booth.

"Hey!" she called, frowning when the guard within merely lowered his magazine. "This is cruel and unusual," she accused, before firing off a demand for a better television and better coffee. Bryony only nodded along with half a mind, her attention flitting between her espresso and the interview. She already knew the odds of getting either one was slim to nil. Technically, she and her fellow Team Flare scientists were no longer on bail, but in "rehabilitation." Really though, the secure laboratory where they spent their working hours could be considered a type of house arrest.

At least that's how Celosia constantly viewed it.

Seeing that she was getting nowhere with the guard, Cel ran her fingers through her short, purple locks and angrily stirred her coffee.  
"Tough day breaking atoms, _me petite?_" Bryony teased, eyes flicking from the television to Celosia from behind her emerald safety glasses. Celosia nodded, hunching over her coffee protectively.

"If they expect the research to be better documented, they should provide an assistant who doesn't have this kind of manicure to look after," she sniffed, before playing with her coffee cup and looking out at nothing in particular. "Someone young and handsome, with big hands..." she mused.

Bryony rolled her eyes, sipping her coffee and glancing back up at the interview.  
"Someone misses dating," she hummed, her green-painted lips smirking as Celosia snapped out of her daydreams.  
"Well that ends tonight," the other scientist declared, leaning over her cup and lowering her voice. "Guess who met a swimmer last night?"

Bryony scoffed and shook her emerald head, bringing her cup back to her lips while Celosia continued.  
"No, really! He says he's in town from the coast and that he would _die_ if I didn't join him for dinner tonight."  
"And you said you'd save his life?" Bryony asked, hiding her face with her raised cup. Cel wasn't anywhere _near_ as witty as she herself was, but she would have still had some flirty, smooth way of accepting while keeping him dangling.

"Let's just say if he looks as good in a suit as he does out of it, I may let him practice his breast stroke," Celosia smirked, and both former Flare's giggled around their cups.

Together they were sure they shattered every old stereotype of the professional scientist.

"It's been awhile since you've had a good coffee story to share," Celosia mused, while Bryony's eyes flicked back up at the screen from behind her visor. "If he doesn't disappoint, want me to share him? It'll be just like poor Ambrose all over again," she added with a smirk.

Ah, poor Ambrose. He never had a chance against the pair of them, really. But the way they saw it, if he was going to fall asleep and leave them unsatisfied, he could at least fund their other activities. Like the ten million they needed for a pair of fashionable Team Flare suits, after all.

Bryony shook her head, somewhere between whimsy and politeness.  
"Thanks," she said lightly, before finishing the rest of her coffee. "But I'll let you keep him – swimmers spend too much time in cold water," she finished with a wink. Celosia shrugged and sipped at her cup, while the interviewer wrapped up her time talking with the Champion.

"You really have learned Kalos phrases quickly," she gushed, while Calem chuckled bashfully and smiled.  
"_Merci_," he thanked her. "I have a good teacher. Speaking of which, I have an appointment coming up soon..."  
"Of course! But, before you go-" She grabbed his arm, as if to stop him from suddenly fleeing before she asked her final, big question. "There's word your old neighbour, Serena, is making big news in Sinnoh – is there any truth to the rumours that you and her were an item?"

Calem laughed warmly, before giving a practiced spiel about Serena's capabilities as a trainer. "... but we were only ever friends," he finished.  
"How is it our ruling Champ hasn't found some nice trainer to take to dinner?" the interviewer added quickly as he pulled his arm away.  
"Well, I'll tell you a secret," he said, lowering his voice as though he wasn't talking on Live television all of a sudden.

"I prefer bad girls," he said playfully, and without another word he turned and left, leaving her to regain her composure before signing off.

"Bad girls?" Celosia mumbled, putting her empty cup back onto the saucer. "That goody-goody? We need cable on this thing." And with a parting wave, she took her empty china to the sink and left the break room. Alone and uninterested in the rest of the programming, Bryony slid the remote out of her coat pocket and switched the screen off.

* * *

She only spared Celosia a brief thought that night, wondering how high the restaurant bill would be once she was done. Bryony preferred the quieter nights these days – relaxing on her plush sofa with her work shirt unbuttoned and legs bare, with a glass of Kalos wine to enjoy.

"I understand I'm quite the teacher," she hummed, sipping her glass while crossing one long leg over the other. She slid her green visor off and bit her lip, free of lipstick for a change, while she admired her view.

Calem really filled out nicely over the last year, she thought, watching him lean shirtless against her coffee table and sip his own drink.  
"I'm a fast learner," he sassed back, refusing to acknowledge that she had seen the ambush interview. "Besides, you just like seeing me beneath you." He winked at her then, and Bryony flashed him with a triumphant smile.

"True – you _do_ look good down there," she mused, swallowing another mouthful of wine. "And I _know_ I look good too," she grinned, feeling a heat flash through her as he kneeled towards her. With a playful wink, she planted her foot against his chest and waved her finger at him.  
"Ah ah," she chided. "Teacher is gonna give you a pop quiz, _ma __chère_," Calem's eyebrow rose as he settled against the sofa, forcing her knee to bend as he pressed against her. He couldn't resist, really. Even if they were once on opposite ends of a conflict, her confidence was just gorgeous.  
"Fire away," he challenged her, lifting her other foot up and rubbing his thumbs in slow motions, watching Bryony melt just a little into her chair while he massaged her.

"Name?" she asked with an airy voice, watching him through hazy eyes. Calem gave her a playful look, amused how a simple foot rub always made the fierce scientist turn to jelly.  
"_Pied_," he said, before lifting her foot and giving her toe a kiss, instantly drawing a throaty moan from her while her muscles tightened. He sat it on his shoulder, before moving further along her skin.

"_Jambe_," he named her leg, fingers slipping behind her knee and stroking while Bryony worried at her lip, her cheeks flushing a pretty pink against her emerald hair.  
"Keep going," she said, but with a wavering note in her voice. Calem smirked up at her, enjoying her composure slipping as he stroked the length of her thigh.

"_Cuisse_," he whispered, before lowering his head and planting a kiss against her warm flesh. The former Flare didn't try to hide her moan, fingers immediately winding in his messy hair while he lavished her.  
"Quiz done, you passed," she said with a rush, before grabbing hold of his shoulders and coaxing him up. As soon as the trainer was off his knees, she yanked him down against her, possessively seizing his lips with hers.

She was glad she had removed her lipstick, really. As funny as he was with her green paint smeared across his mouth, it had been at least a week since they had enjoyed a private night together. Now with him gently pinning her against her sofa, the scientist was damned if she wasn't going to enjoy the evening.

Calem cupped her chin, lifting her face upwards before nuzzling her neck. It was enough to make one of her legs wrap around his hips.

"_Throat_," he translated in native Kalos, and she chuckled while running her hands down his chest.  
"Going for bonus points?" she asked, but he didn't reply, instead moving lower and kissing along her bare skin.  
"_Shoulder... chest... bosom._" He slid her shirt open, exposing her breasts and trailing kisses across her full slopes. Bryony sighed, playing with his hair. 'Oh yes,' she thought. 'Definitely a fast learner.' Not that she would tell him that.

"Yes, yes, I'm a good teacher," she hummed, lifting her chest towards his lips before pushing his hand down to her hip. Bryony smiled when Calem's fingers slid underneath her panties without being urged, slipping around the back to caress her rear.

"And what are these called?" she smirked, wondering if he would be able to remember any of the Kalos words for underwear.  
"_In the way_," he said instead, tongue flicking across her nipple and making her mewl with delight.  
"Well, hero," she said coyly, running her finger down his front before she settled on his loose belt. "We'll have to fix that, wont we...?"

While she would never admit it any time soon, Bryony's favourite thing about Calem wasn't his skill or stamina, or even the delicious kink that came from sleeping with an old adversary. It was the way he would slip an arm underneath her knees and carry her to her bed, before affectionately (if eagerly) undressing her.

* * *

"Oh, thank Arceus they found the remote," Celosia griped, snatching it up and shutting off the television without another word. Bryony continued to stir her espresso, her cheek resting on her palm while she drifted through idle thoughts.  
"Was I right about the cold water?" she asked while adjusting her safety goggles. Her attention was still wavering, but Celosia either didn't notice or didn't comment.

"Probably. I don't know. Why don't you ask Aliana?" Bryony's face slipped out of her palm in surprise, levelling an incredulous look at her companion. Celosia was too busy angrily stirring sugar into her cup to notice, her purple lips pulled into a frown. Out of the four Team Flare Scientist girls, Aliana was generally considered "the good one." As good as a fiery criminal could be, anyhow.

"There I was, looking _fabulous_," Celosia revealed, and Bryony almost rolled her eyes behind her visor. "... and hey – he fills out a suit nice, so I figure I'll have a good evening no matter what. And who sweeps in but Ali!" The plastic spoon was removed and flung with force, landing in a nearby bin. Celosia seemed to hunker down against the table, holding her cup by the handle while recounting how their redheaded colleague had quickly charmed her date.

"And when I get back from fixing my lipstick, they're both gone," she finished with a scathing glare at everything and nothing. "She's such a... a _criminal_."  
"Aren't we all?" Bryony smirked, sipping her coffee while playing with a loose strand of emerald hair. Celosia huffed, flicking her hand in a dismissive way.  
"Yeah right. Just look at _you_ – you've become the biggest softy ever over the last six months." She raised her cup and drank half the contents in one go, before drumming her fingers on the table and pouting to herself.

"This sucks," she moaned. "Here we are – accredited scientists and we're under watch, doing what we're told instead of living the high life in a perfect world." Celosia finished her coffee, waiting for something, _anything_, before turning back to stare at her old partner. Bryony was still sitting there, playing with her hair and nursing her coffee, lost in thoughts. Adding nothing to their miserable situation.

The figurative penny dropped and Celosia pointed a finger towards the emerald woman.

"_You_ are quiet. _Too_ quiet," she accused. "Your life should suck like mine, and here you are, fiddling with your hair and smiling away." She stood and leaned across the table, critically looking over the other woman as if scrutinizing her, while Bryony barely resisted the urge to shove her away.

"You're content," Celosia said.  
"Shut up."  
"You're _satisfied_," she continued.  
"So what?"  
"_Mon Dieu_," she breathed. "You're seeing someone."

Bryony huffed and turned away, bringing her cup to hide her frown of annoyance. It was all the confirmation Celosia needed, and immediately the purple-haired woman was up and badgering her with questions. How long, who are they, and _how good were they_?

"Sometimes you can be a pain in my perfect ass," Bryony muttered, raising her cup and finishing the last of her coffee. And then, just because Celosia really _was_ a pain, she decided to torture her just a little bit.  
"Yes," she said. "I've been seeing a guy for awhile. And _yes_." She gave her companion a slow, satisfied smile. "He's _very_ good. " She leaned closer, voice dropping to a husky whisper. "And if you're thinking of joining us some night soon..."

Celosia's cheeks flushed a little bit, all the while leaning forward to hear the whispering teases becoming gradually softer.

"... tough. I'm keeping this one for me."

The purple scientist reeled back as if stricken, watching her green partner with confusion and embarrassment.  
"Oh, you brat," she said, shaking her head as if to free herself from mental cobwebs. "You're _sweet_ on this one, aren't you? Aww..." Her voice dropped to a sickly sweet tone, her hands clasping beneath her chin in a mockery. "You're _such_ a lovely lady, Bry."

But Bryony shook her head and smirked, unfazed. She stood, not bothering to shift her empty cup or chair, and made a move to leave.  
"Nope," she said smoothly, making a popping sound with her emerald lips. "I'm a _bad girl_." And without waiting to see if Celosia would make the connection, she sauntered back to work.


	2. Privé Fille - Private Girl

**Mauvaise Fille**

_Chapter 2: Privé Fille / Private Girl_

* * *

Celosia's mood darkened over the next few days, almost to the point of being unbearable. It was bad enough that Aliana had skipped away with her date (who she had indeed planned on legally robbing at the restaurant). But what was infinitely worse was that Bryony – her fashionable, playful partner in crime – was secretly dating someone.

Someone she was hiding from her fellow Flare sisters. Someone who may even be making her _soft_, perish the thought. After all, why else would the emerald scientist be so quiet? And it wasn't so long ago that they would all gather in their break room and discuss the importance of how endowed a date had to be. And that poor schmuck of a guard who had to monitor them in their off hours would be forever scarred. At least that was the game they all played.

But Bryony was irritably good at keeping cool, shrugging off Celosia's nagging questions and focusing more on her research than normal.

"Gimme a hint," Celosia had pleaded one day.  
"You've already had one, and you're a shitty scientist if you missed it," Bryony replied, before smiling sweetly. "But you'll find another swimmer some day."

So, effectively cut off from Bryony's love life, _and_ a lack of anything interesting in her own, Celosia moodily buried herself in research. Their shared lab was functional, if not fashionable, and she could study these so called "Mega Evolution" paths that had become established recently.

Peace managed to return to their "community service" work place.

Until Professor Sycamore came calling a few days later.

* * *

"This really is unusual circumstances, Professor." Known more by the nickname of "the Warden" than the overseer she really was, Claudette adjusted her glasses and motioned for the famed Kalos researcher to take a seat.

"_Merci_," he said happily, immediately getting comfortable and scratching his whiskered cheek. "Madame Claudette, unusual is just another name for opportunity." With a flourish, Sycamore produced a roughly drawn map with a cross in the mountains.

"With the funds that have been recovered from Lysandre's accounts, we have already been granted the deeds to establish a new research lab in East Kalos. And with respect, I want one of these young women to head that lab." The affable Professor relaxed, smiling broadly. Claudette was less than impressed.

"Professor Sycamore, these women are convicted _criminals_. You and I both know that their positions on these premises are another form of community service." She pushed the sketched map aside. The only perk she saw was how remote it was. It would be good to split up their little group, if only to stem the constant harassment claims that the guards filed. The purple-haired one in particular was being a pain lately.

"Precisely," he said, motioning with his hand while leaning forward. "Just think of it – these women were once working for a criminal organization. And now, they could be working for the greater good. Using the same money that was once funding their activities, no less." Sycamore clasped his hands, eyebrows quirking as his excitement grew.

"Just think of the message it sends – centuries ago, Kalos invented the guillotine. And now its rehabilitation rate is second to none. And you can't deny that these ladies have talent!"  
"These ladies have an obsession with their hair," Claudette said, her patience beginning to run its course. Pushing her chair out, she motioned for him to follow her as she strode towards the window overlooking the facility.

"Shall we review your 'ladies,' Professor?" Sycamore said nothing, sticking his hands in his pockets and standing aside. It was clear by now she had no intention of waiting for him to answer her.

"Let's start with Aliana," she said, pointing towards a corner of the facility where a redhead was tapping away on a tablet with a stylus. "Field of study? Power sources and renewable energy. Years ago, she was in charge of a raid on our Power Plant, leaving most of our city in a blackout. She claims she can't use keyboards because it will chip a nail."

Sycamore was about to speak, probably about the power of the justice system, but Claudette spoke over him, instead pointing towards a woman with bright blue hair.  
"Next we have Mable. Her studies are primarily in weather and how they effect different Pokémon." He nodded thoughtfully, pleased with this rather interesting line of research.

"She was found guilty of provoking a native Abomasnow in a frost cavern, which caused a blizzard to fall on the neighbouring town and cut off routes of travel. Never, _ever_ make fun of her braids, or she'll throw hot coffee in your face."

By now even Sycamore was frowning. He had known of their involvement with Team Flare, but the nature of their individual crimes under the organization had been left out. Still, those events were, as pointed out, years ago. And he had faith in what he had been hearing of their good behaviour bond.

"Then we have Bryony," she said, nodding towards a woman with a head of emerald hair, looking bored while adjusting a monitor and scribbling down some numbers. "Good with gadgets, providing she finds them fashionable. She was able to alter standard Pokéball's to mass capture. She wouldn't be so bad on her own, but sadly-" Claudette pointed towards the final girl, with cropped purple hair and a scowl on her face as she typed away at a screen.

"She's part of a matching pair. Meet Celosia. Together they robbed the Pokéball factory. Tragically, this one does enough badmouthing for the both of them. I'd tell you she was a genius if I thought you'd take her off my hands, but I wouldn't want to insult you."

The introductions done, Claudette crossed her arms and shook her head.  
"Professor, I'm sure these women are intelligent, and they may have even been swayed by Lysandre's promises years ago. But it doesn't change the fact that they're a bunch of bratty girl criminals." Her frown deepened as she saw him nodding passively, as if she were talking about something as interesting as the odds of it raining later. "If you put any of them in charge of a solo project, you're inviting trouble."

She wasn't surprised when he smiled, eyes crinkling with mirth.  
"_Désolé_, Claudette," he apologised, "But the final choice is mine. And one of these ladies _will_ be the head of a new research team."  
Claudette shook her head, sighing in frustration.  
"Then do yourself a favour – don't give them an attractive assistant, or the most you'll get is a scandal."

* * *

The next day, Sycamore took one of his assistants and made himself formally known to the former Flare's, hands tucked behind his back and beaming. Claudette sighed, pushing her glasses up her nose before demanding their attention.

"We have some guests," she announced, motioning towards the pair. "Our regional Professor, Sycamore, and-"  
"Oh, we _know_ him," Mable accused, crossing her arms over her lab coat and sniffing. Beside Sycamore, Calem adopted a similar passive look and remained silent.

"I hope you don't mind our intrusion," the Professor began, amusement tinting his words as much as his Kalos accent always did. "But I'm here to discuss your possible future and your rehabilitation, and thought perhaps my young guest here could shed some light on that issue."

The purple haired woman, Celosia he thought, snorted and looked away, but he felt it was a good sign that the others managed to stay calm. The redhead even seemed to find it amusing.

"It's been a long time since our date in the Power Plant, _non_?" she called out, and Calem managed not to fidget from her attention. To Sycamore, who always possessed a sense of humour, it seemed like a good opportunity to break the ice.

"Well Calem, since you know these ladies better than I, would you be able to introduce us?" Behind a tense smile, the Professor was such the trainer was cursing him, but nodded regardless.  
"Of course," he muttered, before facing the room of women. Years of being Kalos champion, and he had nowhere near the experience required for this, he thought.

"Aliana, as clever as they come." The redhead gave a little wave, and it was obvious that she was delighting in the awkwardness of the situation.  
"Mable, who's hair looks stunning today." Mable flicked her head to the side, muttering loudly enough that it _always_ looked stunning.  
"Celosia, a natural leader." The loudest of the girls was less than impressed with this introduction, and found her manicure infinitely more interesting.  
"And Bryony."

Calem had to stop himself from saying that she was both a good teacher and a fantastic kisser.

"Positively gifted," he said instead, and the last of the Flare's adjusted her green goggles while her eyebrow quirked upwards.  
"Wonderful!" Sycamore said, clapping his hands and becoming the centre of attention.

"Ladies. From what I can tell, you have all paid a debt to society, and I for one wish to prove that time mend's all misdeeds." In what was surely a practiced spiel, the Professor explained the situation with the appropriated funds being used to build the latest research labs off to the East.

"And I want one of you to become the new head of research for this installation."

The air seemed to be sucked out of the room, before all four women began asking questions at once. Mable seemed the be the noisiest, making wild gestures with her hands, while Aliana practically skipped forward and made herself known.

Calem was sure he would have a headache before they left.

"Now now, we'll go over the details soon," Sycamore announced, stroking his whiskered chin and beaming. "For now, it's important to know who would be best suited for the position. So, I'd like to know a little more about your current assignments."

Aliana immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him to her station, only for Mable to demand why electricity could _possibly_ be more exciting than her weather studies.

Calem didn't envy the Professor in the slightest. Especially not when a coy voice whispered in his ear.  
"Care to see _my_ cubicle?"

He was starting to know Bryony's perfume by scent, he realised, as he nodded demurely and walked after her.

The noise coming from the argument was escalating quickly. Maybe that was why, confident that there was a distraction, she didn't hesitate to push Calem against the corner wall and possessively claim his lips. He even muffled in surprise, not used to this kind of forwardness from her, and the flavour of her emerald lipstick meant he would have to wipe his mouth properly before they were missed.

"That was fun," he said breathlessly, and she smirked at him from behind her visor.  
"Green suits you, you know," she replied cheekily, pressing herself against him and humming as his knee came up between her legs. "I wonder if I can have conjugal visits during community service," she mused, her hands playing with the front of his collar while he licked his smeared lips.  
"So, missed me?" he joked. "Or is this about Ali making that date comment?"

Bryony laughed at that, a musical note that was coy and full of secrets.  
"I've grown fond of our apartment dates," she whispered, pulling his collar back to plant a kiss against his throat. The small, green lipstick mark she left on his pulse was almost as attractive as the moan he made. _Almost_.

"Did you really want to show me something back here?" he breathed, unable to stop his hands from resting on her hips, and she smiled a playful smile.  
"Mm, _non_. You were just there, in front of me, and I thought... I want him. So, I took him."  
"You are a bad girl," Calem whispered, and he almost saw her eyes twinkle behind her visor.  
"But of course," she said playfully, before adjusting his collar and stroking his jaw. "Call me," she said, before turning him around and ushering him out of her small workspace.

She followed along when she was sure her lab coat was no longer ruffled around her hips from his hands.

* * *

Hours after Sycamore and Calem left, their little group was still buzzing over the visit. The chance to move up in the scientific world was something that they had all aspired to once upon a time. Never mind the fact that it was virtually a fresh start for any of them if they managed to secure the position.

"I'm telling you," Mable said as she hung her coat up inside her locker. "The effects of weather on cross species is something we've only scratched the surface of. Sycamore himself said so!"  
"Whereas renewable energy is something we need _now_."  
"You're the biggest source of hot air I know, Ali."  
"Hey? Fuck you."

Celosia stowed her coat, discreetly pulling Bryony closer.  
"I can't wait to leave this place behind," she whispered, nodding at the bickering girls before looking up at the emerald's face. "You'll remember your sister Cel once you're done with the brat, wont you?"

Bryony's face immediately turned stony.  
"_What_ are you talking about?" she demanded, pushing Celosia towards the corner of the room while the others were distracted. Her partner in crime merely rolled her eyes, scoffing.

"What do you think? I'm pretty sure he didn't have a green kiss mark on his neck when he walked in."  
Ah, that. '_Merde,_' she thought to herself, frowning to think that she slipped up so bad. And all because she really couldn't keep her hands to herself.  
"So, when you're done winding him around your little finger, you'll get us out of here, right?"

Bryony was torn between agreeing and calming the purple-head down, or firmly swearing her to silence. Neither option was very appealing.

"You don't know what you're talking about on this one," she said instead, avoiding the other's stare and crossing her arms. But Celosia was pretty sure that she _did_ know what this was.

"Come on," she urged, waggling her eyebrows. "I mean, he's cute enough for a goody goody. He wouldn't stand a chance against us both, and then we're outta here."

Bryony squeezed her eyes shut, pinching the bridge of her nose.  
"Arceus, I wish you would _stop _bringing that up," she hissed, giving her a cold look. Celosia actually looked hurt at that, as if she had done something reprehensible.  
"Then what the hell else would this be if not-"

Bryony bitterly looked away as Cel wore a look of understanding. So, she actually did piece it together, she thought.  
"... it's _him_? You're screwing _him_?"  
Bryony glared and put a firm hand on the other's shoulder, before her shock completely wiped away any subtlety she had.  
"Oh, Bry. Tell me this is a con job. Tell me you're using him."

Bryony said nothing. She only frowned and rubbed her forehead. If a part of her secretly wanted to brag a little that she had been carrying on with the Kalos champion, she always knew it was in everyone's interest to keep it a secret.

And now, Celosia knew.

"You're not using him. You're sweet on him," she breathed, as if the realisation was something unbelievable.  
"Shut up," she snapped, and Celosia leaned against the wall as if she had been struck. But as if some dam had begun to crack, the emerald scientist felt like adding fuel to the proverbial fire. "So what? _So _the fuck _what _if I'm seeing him? That I might actually _like_ him?" she demanded.

Celosia said nothing. Her mouth shut tight, before she pushed past the other woman, grabbed her handbag and left. If Bryony was relieved that their little confrontation was over, she knew it would be short lived. It was nearly impossible for Cel to keep her mouth shut, especially when she felt justified or wronged in any way.

For the first time in a long, long time, Bryony thought of that silly, selfish dream they had years ago. To live in a world with only beautiful people and beautiful creatures, where they would do as they wanted. It was so foolish, but it would have been _so_ simple, she mused.


End file.
